Nina Pineda shares her frightening experience getting caught in a rip tide
Summer may be winding down, but the dangers of rip currents have not leveled off.
In one instance, a 31-year-old man was in the water with his kids and died after getting caught in a rip current at a Seaside Heights beach on Monday.
The drowning death came the same evening that a 77-year-old woman died after being pulled from the water in Manhattan Beach in Brooklyn.
Amid two recent drownings after people were caught in a rip current, Eyewitness News' Nina Pineda is sharing her frightening experience and warnings.
Nina was at the shore last week when she realized she needed help in the water.
Nina said she was on the swim team and swam in the ocean every morning, but on a rough day, even a strong swimmer is no match for the power of the ocean.
Nina explains when she realized she was pulled into a rip current and what to do if you are in that situation.
Harry Harsin, chief lifeguard in Belmar, New Jersey, said before families head to the beach, they should be looking to spot a rip current before they get into the water.
"Typically, the average person isn't going to know what a rip current looks like so I would advise them to go up to the lifeguards and say how are the conditions today, is it safe to swim? And they will tell you where to go," Harsin said.
Harsin said if someone does get caught in a rip current, the first thing to do is signal that you are in trouble and then to swim parallel to shore or let the rip current take you out a little so you can then swim parallel or back to shore.
Harsin said 99 percent of drownings occur after lifeguards are off-duty.
